The Avoca Mill
On a gorgeous sunny afternoon in County Wicklow Ireland, our car has entered the vale of Avoca. Peaceful, green, and magically beautiful, this valley is where the Avonmore and Avonbeg rivers join to form the Avoca River. And here at last, we see the historic Mill of Avoca for the first time!
The story of Avoca Mill begins in 1723, and a lot has happened since then! This working, weaving mill is the oldest in Ireland, but within the mill’s white-washed walls lies the heart of a still very vibrant weaving industry. Dedicated local craftspeople and much of the Avoca design team work here, and they pour care and attention into each new piece of woven fabric as it passes from Avoca to your home.
Inside the mill, my husband John and I are greeted by Liam Finnerty, the manager of Avoca Mill’s operations. Thanks to Liam, we’ll soon learn a lot about the weaving process. During the first step of the process, the pattern for the weave is handed over from the design team, and a pattern for the design is then created. Later during this same afternoon, it was a thrill for me to meet Fiona Daly, the designer who is working on Avoca’s Timeline Collection celebrating the 300th anniversary of Avoca Mill. The designer’s pattern determines the count and colors of the warp threads, which are stretched across the loom. The weft threads are then woven over and under to create the fabric.
Today Avoca Mill uses both hand and power looms. I’ll never forget briefly meeting third generation weaver Martin Kenny who works the hand loom. Martin gave me a short weaving demonstration with a shy, funny, intelligent twinkle in his eye that told me just how much he enjoys his job. The folks at Avoca are determined to stay true to their heritage whenever they introduce modern methods. In this way, Avoca continues to create woven goods on the power loom that represent the standard of excellence that they aspire to.
Next Liam tells us that once the fabric is woven, it needs to be fringed. A fringe is integral to the design of Avoca throws, scarves, and baby blankets, so newly woven fabric is sent to the mill’s fringing machine. Avoca workers hand check each fringe and specify its length, thickness, and twist.
At this point, each woven bolt of fabric is handed over to a mending station. Here the cloth is spread over an illuminated mending table, where an expert eye examines and mends both sides of the woven fabric by hand. Once the expert is sure the cloth is in perfect condition, it’s sent to be washed and brushed. This process softens the fabric and makes it ready to be snuggled into when it reaches its home destination. Next, it’s time for individual scarves, throws, and baby blankets to be cut to size from spools of fabric and to have their edges trimmed off. This process requires a close eye and steady hand to ensure that everything runs smoothly.
During the final stage of the weaving journey, Avoca puts its name to their products. Each Avoca label is sewn on in the mill after having met Avoca’s seal of approval throughout each stage of its creation.
It’s a great pleasure for me to present Avoca Mill products made from fine lambswool and cashmere here at Menus and Music. I love curling up under an Avoca throw while I’m reading a book or watching TV, and wearing my Avoca scarves during autumn and winter keeps me warm and comfortable. And of course, I’m always astonished at how beautiful and happy babies look in a crib or a stroller tucked into an Avoca baby blanket!
